Hanoi: Shifting travel trends during the April 30 and May 1 holidays

The Hung Kings Commemoration Day, April 30th and May 1st holidays this year last for 5 days; this is a "golden" opportunity for the capital's tourism industry in particular and the whole country in general to attract tourists and promote tourism growth. Up to this point, the basic tours have been completed.

According to travel agencies and tourist destinations, this year, the increase in airfares has more or less affected the tourism market. Therefore, people's travel trends during this holiday season have shifted. Destinations near the mainland attract visitors.

The Huc Bridge connecting Hoan Kiem Lake to Ngoc Son Temple is always an attractive "check-in" spot for tourists. Photo: Hoang Hieu/VNA

Every year, with many days off, people often choose faraway, new destinations to explore and experience. However, this year, airfares for domestic tours have increased, leading to an increase in tour prices, causing a decrease in demand for long-distance travel during the holidays. The trend of independent travel and nearby destinations is chosen by many people. This is because the economy has not fully recovered after the COVID-19 pandemic, so the trend of people traveling far away with high costs has also somewhat decreased. Therefore, proactively building tours for the holidays with economical costs is focused on by units. Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hue, Head of Communications - Marketing Department, Flamingo Redtours Joint Stock Company, said that on this occasion, the destinations chosen by many visitors are: tourist destinations in the East - Northwest region, including: Moc Chau (Son La), Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Mai Chau (Hoa Binh); Northern - Central coastal tourist destinations such as: Ha Long (Quang Ninh), Do Son, Cat Ba (Hai Phong), Sam Son (Thanh Hoa), Cua Lo (Nghe An) ... The main customers are families, groups of friends who register for group tours and book individual combos ... For tourists who can travel further, sea tours such as: Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet ... are also chosen by many people. Tours in the Southwest region are popular with family groups, from the route of 2 provinces Ca Mau - Bac Lieu to the route of 4 provinces Can Tho - Ca Mau - Bac Lieu - Soc Trang. In Hanoi, many destinations have prepared infrastructure, entertainment programs, human resources ... to serve the expected increase in visitors. On the occasion of this holiday, Bao Son Paradise Park officially welcomes summer 2023 with the most spectacular series of events of the year. Specifically: The Aloha Summer Festival takes place for 5 days from April 29 to May 3, bringing visitors to a miniature Polynesian cultural paradise, immersing themselves in the clear blue water, blending in with the joyful atmosphere filled with the music of the indigenous people of the South Pacific. At the same time, the unit also launched 2 new entertainment complexes: Happy Farm with free entrance for visitors when coming to play at the park; Castaway Lagoon Water Park returns with a new look, ready to experience the summer with visitors. Many other entertainment and recreation spots in Hanoi also organize exciting activities to attract visitors such as: Cultural, sports, entertainment, culinary, shopping activities "Welcome Summer 2023" at Vinhomes Ocean Park Whale Square; "Start Summer" program with attractive entertainment and recreation activities; The most prominent are the live show "Quintessence of the North", seal performance... at Tuan Chau Eco-tourism and Entertainment Area - Hanoi... Many foreign tours with reasonable prices

In addition to domestic tours, the trend of traveling abroad is also vibrant and bustling. The increase in domestic airfares has caused the price of domestic tours to increase. Therefore, many customers have sought out reasonably priced foreign tours such as Thailand, Bali, Korea, Singapore... with prices ranging from 10.9 million to 17.9 million VND. In particular, Thailand tours were quickly sold out. On this occasion, Vietravel Tourism Company plans to serve more than 21,100 visitors; of which, foreign tourists account for 52.5% and domestic tourists account for 47.5%. Deputy Director of Vietravel Tourism Company, Hanoi Branch Pham Van Bay said that in addition to Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia tours with new tour itineraries, adding more attractions, entertainment and experiences at reasonable prices, Vietravel also exploits many other potential markets. With the reopening of the Chinese market, the company has launched a direct flight product from Zhangjiajie to Phoenix Ancient Town with a schedule of 6 days 5 nights or 5 days 4 nights; by road from Kunming - Dali - Lijiang for 6 days 5 nights. For football fans, the company has prepared tours to Cambodia combined with watching the matches of the Vietnam U22 Team at the 32nd SEA Games. According to Mr. Pham Van Bay, with the goal of increasing the travel experience for customers during this year's holiday, Vietravel has proactively worked with partners to renew the tour itinerary. From there, customers have a variety of itineraries to choose from according to their needs. In addition, the company is proactive in the number of pre-booked services, so there are always tours and service packages with stable prices. The April 30 and May 1 holidays are always considered a "hot" time for the tourism market when people's demand increases dramatically, leading to increased prices and scarce services. Therefore, travel agencies recommend that tourists should proactively book tours early to get reasonable prices and suitable departure times.

Dinh Thuan (Vietnam News Agency)